7. Experience history! Sonoma County is ...

• The birthplace of California’s wine industry. Self-proclaimed count Agoston Haraszthy brought cuttings from 165 of the greatest European vineyards to California. Considered one of the pioneersof the California wine industry, Haraszthy founded Buena Vista Winery and promoted vine planting over much of Northern California.• Home of the northernmost and last Spanish-Mexican mission built along California’s historic El Camino Real.• The location of the Bear Flag Revolt, which transferred ownership of California from Mexico to the United States. Gen. Vallejo’s home, barracks, and the Mission San Francisco Solano are all part of the Sonoma State Historic Park.• The coastal settlement of Fort Ross was established in 1812 by the Russian-American Company, a commercial hunting and trading company. It was the southernmost Russian outpost in North America and, in 2012, celebrated the bicentennial of its founding.• Petaluma, one of the oldest cities in California, with one of the best-preserved historic downtown areas (it's on the National Register of Historic Places). Victorian homes and iron-front buildings surround this charming riverfront town. Spend a weekend in Petaluma with this 48 hours guide, and enjoy the culinary delights that the city offers.• Jack London, author of “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang,” a pioneer in the world of commercial magazine fiction, and one of the first Americans to make a lucrative career exclusively from writing. Visit his final home and ranch, now the Jack London State Park, located in Glen Ellen.

With 27,000-plus artists and hundreds of music and art events each month – open studio events, art walks, art show openings – is it any wonder that Sonoma County is said to have more artists per capita than anywhere else in California?